Xbox One S FIFA 17 bundles out on Sept 22, No Man’s Sky due for Xbox One release?

Microsoft kicked off Gamescom by announcing 500GB and 1TB Xbox One S FIFA 17 bundles. Marco Reus is the cover star so Germany’s biggest trade fair is the perfect place for the announcement.

The FIFA 17 bundles will be released on September 22 and are currently available for pre-order. The 500GB console bundle costs $300 (£249.99) while the 1TB version will set you back $350 (£299.99). It will be initially be available in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Xbox One S FIFA 17 bundle allows five days of early access

If you buy the FIFA 17 bundle and sign up for EA Access, you can play the game five days prior to the official release on September 27. A one-month subscription to EA Access is included in the purchase. Like many of the Xbox One S bundles, FIFA 17 buyers will get a digital download only. The game will also be released on PC, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Earlier in the week Microsoft announced the 2TB Xbox One S launch console sold out worldwide. However as we previously reported, you can still find the console in stock online and at certain stores.

The other Xbox One S console releases Microsoft are offering are the Halo (500GB and 1TB), Madden NFL 17 (1TB) and Gears of War 4 (2TB) bundles. The pricing for the first two bundles is the same as for FIFA 17. The $450 Gears bundle is limited edition and it’s the only way you can get your hands on a 2TB console if you miss out on the launch edition. The Madden and Halo bundles are due on August 23, while the Gears of War 4 will be out on October 7.

Microsoft wins with Xbox One S features, fails on controller redesign

The new Xbox One S wireless controller.

The Xbox One S had a positive launch, with its reduced footprint, 4K video and High Dynamic Range tech winning over gamers. The controller now uses the Bluetooth standard so now it’s easy to use for gaming on Windows 10. Microsoft have cut some corners on the physical design of the supposedly improved controller however. The new “textured grip” is rough under the fingers and the controller feels a bit cheap in the hand.

No Man’s Sky Xbox One release may be upcoming

In other Xbox One news, the indie explorer/survival phenomenon No Man’s Sky could be coming to the console. The game is currently available for PC and PS4. NeoGAF user Hugo Peters dug into data from the PC version of the game and found that the Havok physics license Hello Games used for No Man’s Sky allows the company to develop for Xbox One.

This of course is a long way from confirmation that the game is coming to Xbox. However it’s not the only thing that points to an Xbox One release. The Havok physics license isn’t cheap so why would Hello Games drop money on an Xbox license if they don’t intend to use it? Furthermore, Hello Games self-published No Man’s Sky and there’s no public exclusivity license for PS4, so there’s nothing stopping them from branching out to Xbox.

No Man’s Sky Director Sean Murray has so far been coy on the subject of an Xbox release. While speaking to the Daily Star, Murray said he wasn’t sure what he was “actually allowed to say” on the subject. The Star journalist noted that the Sony PR rep present for the interview then quickly shuffled the conversation along at that point. Sony heavily marketed the game so no doubt they weren’t happy at any suggestion of a future Xbox release prior to the PS4 release.